1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a low insertion force connector in which before a slider is pushed or operated, terminals in one connector are initially connected respectively to terminals in the other connector by an inertia force obtained when the connectors are pushed relative to each other to be fitted together, thereby reducing a force required for operating the slider.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIGS. 12A and 12B shows a conventional low insertion force connector.
This low insertion force connector 50 comprises a male connector 52 including a plurality of female terminals 51, a female connector 54 including a plurality of male terminals 53 corresponding respectively to the female terminals 51, and a plate-like slider (not shown) for fitting the male and female connectors 52 and 54 together.
The slider is inserted into the female connector 54, and follower projections of the male connector 52 are guided along cam grooves in the slider, thereby fitting the two connectors 52 and 54 together (see Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. Hei. 9-17508). The slider will be described later in detail in "DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT" of this specification.
As shown in an enlarged view of FIG. 12B, the female terminal 51 has a resilient contact piece portion 56 provided within a tubular electrical contact portion 55 of a rectangular cross-section forming a distal end portion of the female terminal. The male terminal 53 has a plate-like male tab portion 57 for contact with the resilient contact piece portion 56. When the slider is pushed, the male and female connectors 52 and 54 begin to be fitted together, and the male tab portion 57 of each male terminal 53 is inserted into the electrical contact portion 55 of the associated female terminal 51, and causes the associated resilient contact piece portion 56 to be flexed or resiliently deformed.
In the above conventional construction, however, the male and female terminals 53 and 51 have now been arranged into a multi-pole design, and therefore an increased force is required for flexing the resilient contact piece portions 56 of the female terminals 51 by the male tab portions 57 of the male terminals 53, and as a result there has been encountered a problem that an initial inserting force 25 for the slider is increased as shown in FIG. 13, so that the pushing operability of the slider is adversely affected. In FIG. 13, a peak 58 immediately before the completion of insertion of the slider is due to the locking of the connectors.